Wednesday, November 26, 2008

I know its coming-the air is taking on a chill (I had to break out my scarf), some days when I walk outside I can smell the snow. There have even been a few fires in the fireplace already. Winter is right around the corner. Best of all? it’s that time of year again. Family, tradition, the spirit of giving, celebrating the birth of Jesus……. oh and lest we forget…… the complete and total moronic activity of the secular folks. That’s right ladies and gentleman, your religion and right to observe Christmas and Thanksgiving are once again under attack. Let me rephrase that-you can celebrate these things as long as you don’t call them what they are or celebrate them in any way that resembles the way they have been celebrated for hundreds (and thousands) of years.

Once again a perfectly innocent celebration has become fodder for some ridiculous parent that clearly just wants to hijack the holiday for her own purpose. This woman is suggesting that somehow a decades’ long tradition of a Thanksgiving march and celebration OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS is demeaning to Native Americans and likens it to asking children “dress up like slaves (and kind slave masters), or Jews (and friendly Nazis), or members of any other racial minority group who has struggled in our nation's history." What an outrageous suggestion! For one, Thanksgiving in no way celebrates the Pilgrims mistreatment of the Indians. Thanksgiving thanks God, celebrates a bountiful harvest and the Indians HELPING the Pilgrims learn to farm and work this land. The tradition of Thanksgiving isn’t celebrating the years after mistreatment of Native Americans, but more of a “thank you” for helping us learn to get through winter, or of a “thank God for this food to eat.” In fact, Native Americans already had a Thanksgiving type of celebration, long before settlers came to America. We do not ignore the mistreatment of those native to this land, it is taught in the schools, but Thanksgiving is not about that. People need to get a grip.

But, as we all know, this is just the latest in the no-so-hidden attack on religion and tradition in our country. Manger scenes that must be taken down, banning “Christmas” parties in the schools, signs and sounds of “Happy Holidays” and “Seasons Greetings” hammer our eyes and ears from every angle. I was literally falling off my chair laughing when I saw this video denigrating retailers that cannot acknowledge Christmas, but want to make a ton ‘o cash off the holiday. I am 100% behind this movement and have also begun what will be a new tradition of celebrating Merry Tossmas in my home-right along with Christmas.

What really bothers me? It seems more and more accepted to completely obliterate any religious association with all Christian holidays. I do not think Jewish Americans would appreciate the Christians exclaiming “You can no longer celebrate RoshHashanah or YomKippur because it excludes us! We must be included; therefore you have to sanitize your celebration to fit what we want!” How ludicrous is that? How about Muslims sacred celebration of Eidal-Fitr? Should Christians demand inclusion in that? Of course not, it would be completely absurd!

That folks, is exactly the point-things have gotten absurd out here. I don’t care if people do not want to celebrate Christmas, that’s fine-it’s your right, but stop trying to turn a religious holiday into something it’s not. Stop trying to hijack our holiday. For goodness sake-get your own holiday! You cannot take the religion out of the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birthday. It can’t be done-that is what you’re celebrating. If you don’t like it, celebrate something else-ON A DIFFERENT DAY.

I love this time of year. I love the tradition. I love the family. I love it that my 16 and 17 year old daughters still ask if we are cutting our own tree this year-as has been our tradition since they were 4 and 5. I love the spirit of giving every time I pass that crazy bell ringer at “wally world”. I love dropping off toys for kids at the local collection bin. And most of all, I love having this day set aside where I can celebrate Jesus and religion and all that those things mean to me.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

So, I have been working all week on a post about the auto bailout. I keep going around and around about how I want to word things and what I want to say. I am so angry I just can’t make any sense. I just don’t have anything nice to say. I decided instead of a logical post pointing out all the reasons why this bailout is no good-in fact maybe worse than the first one, I’m going to rant. I’m mad and I can’t take it anymore.

I don’t understand why Washington keeps throwing good money after bad, again and again. A few weeks ago it was the banks and Wall Street. This week has been all about the Big 3. To me they all resemble a bunch of drug addicted, alcoholics. “We need your money to fuel our excess because we used up all of our own.” Who’s next? What is the next sector to fail that “we cannot live without if it were to go under?” Funny……to me it’s not that the words are untrue, it’s that to my way of thinking, that’s ALL SECTORS of business and bailing any of them out is a mistake. When bad companies fail, good companies buy them or their assets and in some way or another, we all go on.

I don’t understand why we don’t get a vote. All the talk in Congress about “the taxpayer”, what’s good for the taxpayer” yet they haven’t asked “the taxpayer”. Not me at least-did they call you?I am against bailouts in any form-I do not discriminate. Wall Street, Main Street and the automakers must suffer whatever the consequence after years of credit excess and irresponsibility. I know it’s harsh, but that’s life. Life can be harsh. The government can’t solve your problems, fix your woes, or pay your mortgage. Only you can do that. Yeah lady from the Obama campaign trail video-your still gonna have to pay your mortgage and put gas in your car. Get used to it.

I’m pissed that Paulson keeps doing whatever he wants with the $700 billion that was going to have “strict oversight”. Really? So doing what you want, no accountability and no trail is strict oversight? Hmmm, I wonder if I can use that position if the IRS ever pays me a visit. Paulson, Pelosi, Reid, Dobbs and Frank are complete and total IDIOTS. Someone should be investigated. Someone should be prosecuted. Those people should not be determining how to best deal with this situation-news flash-THEY GOT US IN THIS SITUATION!!!!!!

An infusion of cash will only delay the inevitable. The ridiculous excess, the unyielding labor unions, and outrageous fuel costs-the automakers are suffering from their own poor decisions and a drunken profit-taking mentality of many years. Detroit continued to make high profit gas guzzling SUV’s while not investing in forward thinking technology and smaller cars, essentially starving research and development. If these companies are allowed to go bankrupt and re-organize their chances of survival are much better. They can emerge as innovative, smart-thinking, slimmed down corporations that have a hope of moving on.

Workers must understand-if the car makers continue down the current path they will lose their jobs anyway. As Mitt Romney so accurately pointed out,

“IF General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye. It won’t go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed.”

Just as the financial institutions that were allowed to fail were bought by other companies that are strong, the market must be allowed to determine the fate of automakers. Funny, even as those institutions went belly up the world didn’t come to an end. People are struggling. People are scared. I know these things to be true, but the answer is not throwing more money at a never ending problem. These failures must happen. This correction must take place. People are not going to start spending money again until the dust settles and months and months of volatility will just make things worse and prolong the pain. Let the market do what it does, let the chips fall where they may and then the people and the economy will recover.

Friday, November 7, 2008

It has been a couple of days since the election took place. I, like millions of others, cast my ballot and hoped for the best. In the end I did not get the president I wanted, however, I will respect the office and give Obama a chance. Unlike so many over the last 8 years, I will not insult, degrade or bash my president. It’s disrespectful and I will not participate. Please don’t mistake my manners (something that has been sorely lacking these past 8 years) for complacency-it’s not-if Obama wants to run this country into the ground with too much government and too many entitlements, I will not be silent, but I will always be respectful. That is what I’m thinking about today-respecting the office of President of the United States.

I am doing my best to be respectful and even in awe of what the election of Obama symbolizes in this country; I am having a hard time respecting his supporters and the media. No matter my political differences with Obama I am aware of the historical and social significance of his election. However, the demands from his supporters that I be happy, or that I am somehow stupid for not worshipping at the altar of Obama is just too much. The demand that I support his policy and be kind a respectful toward him is infuriating to me. It’s not that I won’t be-it’s that the majority of these people who demand this from me are the same people that degraded, berated, and demonized Bush at every chance. I have no issue with your right to disagree with a candidate politically and even to work your hardest to drive change. I have issue with anyone that will publicly and loudly degrade the leader of YOUR country. I was reading this Wall Street Journal article and came across this:

“Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House”

I find this to be very poignant and telling. It is ludicrous to me that the same people who felt it was appropriate to say anything they wanted about Bush now say “Oh, shame on you, you must support him, be respectful of the office.” Seriously? Are you kidding me? Whatever-I was raised to have manners and I will, but DO NOT for one second think that because Obama is in the office you have the right to force your views on me. Respect and manners is not the same thing as complete, blind loyalty.

Finally, in some ways the treatment of the election of Obama is just downright insulting. The comparison of him to a messiah or some kind of otherworldly savior is disgusting to me. I came across this article on FoxNews.com (of all places). For the most part, I just had to laugh. It was just way too over the top with its loving, worldly praise of Obama. The disturbing part? The last sentence of the story:

“If you look at Jesus Christ, he walked on water and fed the 5,000 and he ended up getting crucified, so I think it's not unlikely that President-elect Obama is gonna disappoint some people also."

I thought I might have a nervous breakdown right then and there. Comparing Obama to Jesus is just too much. He is a man. He is a politician. He is no more and no less and this comparison is pathetic. Obama will not heal your pain, save your diseased, right your wrongs, and cause the lame to walk. Obama has made claims and promises that he may or may not accomplish; to elevate him to this level is not only disrespectful, frankly, it could be dangerous. Self reliance and strong faith in yourself and your God is what made this country great-not worshipping false idols.

When I reflect over the last 8 years I am not blind to the things that could have been done differently. I too see policies and actions that I disagree with. I have no problem acknowledging the President is a human and a politician. I have no problem disagreeing with some choices made by ALL politicians. However, would never presume to force someone to praise a leader they did not agree with. I would never presume because one does not hold my political views they are stupid. My mother raised me to have manners and always be respectful, while fighting with all my might for ideas I believe in.

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About Me

I am a mother to two teenage daughters and a successful small business
owner. I attempt to live my life as I want my children to live theirs. I
am traditional in my values, and independent in my thinking.
I have been called a bully and a meany, both of which are probably true.
Most recently, I have considered entering the MMA as part of a
feather-weight tag team.
"I'm not mean-you're just a sissy!"-Happy Bunny